Thursday, September 3, 2009

Bike Update, etc...

Ok, I rode home again yesterday. Two things:

1) My butt hurts! I need a new seat, for sure. One of those wide, padded, “lady” seats. Oh yes I do. I got off the tram yesterday, tucked my pant leg into my sock and swung my leg over the bike. OUCH! When I sat down, I stood right back up. I had to ride a couple blocks putting most of my weight on the pedals until my butt bones stopped complaining. I’m taking Friday off and I’ll be shopping for a comfy seat that day.

2) My timing is off. I said that it took me 40 minutes the first day, well, it took 50 minutes the second day and that just can’t be right. I didn’t wander around in Riverplace, AND I rode up that short steep hill – which has to be faster than walking, right? I’m not sure how my timing got all wonky, but I’m still hoping to shave ten (or twenty) minutes off my time. I hope to get home in half an hour. I think I’ll be able to eventually.

So, part of my ride along the waterfront goes by a hangout zone for the homeless. It’s just a pleasant part of the park a little distance away from the businessy part of downtown (close to the Steel Bridge, by the cherry trees, if you know where I mean). Yesterday there were several people sprawled around in the grass and sitting on the benches. I noticed that there were also lots of pigeons taking a little rest there as well. I wondered, do the homeless ever catch and eat pigeons? They are certainly plentiful (I mean the birds), and surely, surely, they taste somewhat like chicken. But, then, I’ve wondered the same thing about squirrels. Why aren’t hungry people eating them? I’ve never had squirrel before but in my imagination it is a lean, dark meat. I asked T what she thought about that and she said, “Why go to all that trouble when you can panhandle a dollar and go to Wendy’s for a crispy chicken sandwich?” She does have a point there.

In other news, the concert tickets that we won are for tonight. Bonnie Raitt and Taj Mahal at the Edgefield! Very much looking forward to it! Gates open at 5, general admission seating on the grass, so we’ll be there on time. Really, really hoping that the rain holds off until tomorrow!

I will try to get some blogging in over the weekend, but you know how I am about turning on the computer at home… I’d much rather take advantage of this super fast work connection. If I don’t hear from you, and I hope I do, have a great holiday weekend! And Lisa, rest up for next week!

2 comments:

  1. ekg, how about a review of bonnie raitt and taj mahal at edgfield? i always thought it was a drag it took so long for raitt to be recognized. i used to hear her first three albums from the early seventies and she was one of the first people to realize the true genius of motown that was rarely covered, and never by whites. the old marvelettes gem "danger, heartbreak dead ahead" and later, martha and the vandellas great "girl, you've been in love too long" were in heavy rotation on my turntable in the '70's. it took from 1971 (her first release) until 1981 when somehow "nick of time" made her famous. i always find it strange but gratifying that people like raitt and tina turner finally got their fair shake in life. ofttimes, it is the earlier work that is far better, but at least they finally got some money for their years in the trenches of a fickle public who doesn't easily find true talent when it first emerges.

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  2. I can't do justice to a review the way you can, TisT. This is what I can say about the concert:

    Bonnie Raitt and Taj Mahal were wonderful! Bonnie played a mix of old and new, and so did Taj. I only know that about Taj because I checked out his website beforehand and I recognized some of the songs he and the band played.

    When she would talk between songs, Bonnie seemed like someone it would be easy to hang out with. She was very comfortable and natural on stage -- as she should, all these decades later.

    One thing I liked about Bonnie was that she sounds the same live as she does recorded. It can be a disappointment to hear an artist live and realize that they are so engineered in the studio that they are unrecognizable in concert. Not with Bonnie! She sounds The Same!

    About the Edgefield: We got there an hour before the gates opened and the line was into the next county. We hiked to the end of the line, took our place, and then said, screw this! We weren't going to get a "good" spot anyway with all those people in front of us.
    We went back down to the Lodge and ate dinner and drank a couple of beers and went back out to the line after the gates opened. We were sitting well back but could hear just fine. Much better strategy.

    We had a great time and it was really fun to be out and about listening to live music.

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